Bismarck

Even though Secretary Bailey had emphasized that it would be useless even if the priest sprinkled holy water on the shells, the British soldiers still felt they should give it a try.

A priest holding a holy water bottle was taken to the ammunition depot by the soldiers, and then he blessed every artillery shell on the opposite side with magical powers.

Although it is of no use, it is always good to have faith.

However, there didn't seem to be that much holy water, so the pastor simply asked the soldiers to urinate on the shells to break the magic of Satan.

If Bismarck knew about this, he would definitely think that this pastor was probably from China.

In the face of fear, some people are so frightened that they can't move, but some people, because of this fear, make their attacks even more crazy...

Under the pressure of fear and the desire to survive, the British officers and soldiers on the fort exerted 200% of their strength!

With the sailors operating the mechanical equipment at a crazy speed, one shell after another was lifted by a crane onto the rail transport vehicle, passed through the double explosion-proof doors staggered in front and behind, and transported to the bottom of the two 381mm gun barrels. Then they were stuffed into the shell wells like crazy, loaded into the barrels of the giant cannons, and began to desperately pour firepower towards the dark shadow more than kilometers away - the German evil battleship!

Although those 155mm fortress guns were completely unable to reach the German warships at this distance, they turned around and began to attack the Bismarck, which was barely dragging its broken body towards the shallows outside Alexandria Harbor and had one foot in the minefield!

Even the Western Battery on Pharos Island, which had been temporarily silent before, recovered at some point and resumed shelling - it was not known whether the shell was knocked out or there was a problem with some mechanism, but after a period of recovery, it was able to operate again.

Immediately, the intensity of the counterattack fire began to increase.

The accuracy of the turrets themselves is much higher than that of the warships that are constantly shaking on the sea! Coupled with the intensive training of war-weariness, the efficiency of these turrets' bombardment is not much worse than that of the ship girls.

Even if it’s more than thirty kilometers away!

Soon, poor Tirpitz was hit by two 381mm main gun armor-piercing shells!

“Ouch…it hurts so much!”

The hamster, crouching with his head in his hands, looked at his No. 200 main turret, which was hit by the armor-piercing shells from the turret, with tears streaming down his face. The turret top, which was 150 mm thick after the modification, was dented by the heavy shells... and a -meter secondary turret in the middle of the starboard side had a big hole smashed through it. The flames produced by the explosion of the shells that entered through the ammunition silo in the secondary gun ammunition depot were still billowing thick smoke!

Tirpitz not only felt a little pain, but also felt hot and wanted to explode. She should be glad that she was not Mutsu.

Lindeman was also scared and broke out in a cold sweat!

If the 150 shells had not been used up and the secondary battery ammunition depot was empty, this round would have really exploded!

The damage caused by the explosion of the secondary gun ammunition depot is not much weaker than that of the main gun ammunition depot!

It could almost tear half of the hull apart - although it wouldn't break into two pieces like the Hood did, after all, the Germans hadn't built any passages.

But even so, the explosion inside the hull still caused Tizi to suffer serious internal injuries. The seawater surged in from the cracked hull like a fountain! Tizi could even see inside his body. The sailors of the damage control team were like the platelets in the human body. They gritted their teeth, turned on the water pumps, brought damage control tools, and withstood the impact of the surging seawater, they desperately used the simple equipment in their hands to plug the leaks...

"Oh, Lindemann, the side is leaking!" Tirpitz was shocked, "I don't want to sink yet!"

"Don't talk nonsense, you will be fine with such a minor injury." Lindman, with a grim look on his face, comforted her.

“But it hurts...”

"It hurts."

"Lindeman, you don't like me anymore..." The hamster was very angry.

"If you want to be angry, go get angry at the British. Hurry up and keep firing. Don't let them hit your sister."

"makes sense."

Especially when he saw that the explosion seemed to cause several pieces of torn drawing paper to float out from the hole in the bottom cabin, Tirpitz felt like he was about to explode.

In fact, Tirpitz was very smart. He knew that there was a high chance that his room would be hit by shells during the bombardment, so he threw all his paintings into the bottom cabin for safekeeping. It was supposed to be very safe there, but...

Staring at the direction of the artillery with a fierce look, the hamster widened his eyes and directly took over the artillery fire.

"Damn British, you don't have to live in this world anymore!"

Tirpitz took over so suddenly that even the gunner at the artillery command post felt that the fire control system of the warship in front of him suddenly did not obey his orders! It automatically changed the angle of the artillery...

Moreover, it can even fire automatically!

The gunner's hand hadn't even touched the button when eight guided shells whizzed out of the barrel with the roar of a hamster!

Damn, this is simply hell!

He was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat.

One and a half minutes later, just as the gunnery commander of the battleship Tirpitz was halfway through telling Lindemann that the "fire control director had a malfunction" on the microphone, the shocked observer reached out and tremblingly pulled the gunnery commander's arm...

"What?" The gunner covered the microphone cover with one hand, turned around and shouted angrily, spitting all over the observer's head and face.

"Gun, gunner, the turret... the turret was blown up, just in the round..."

"It exploded, it exploded. I didn't even press the button on this damn thing, but it... wait? It exploded? Just in the last round..."

Oh shit…oh my god.

Hearing the gunner's incredulous tone in the microphone, which did not even bother to cover the cover, Lindmann, who had been racking his brains over how to explain "automatic discharge of the artillery", could not help but imagine the gunner's confused expression.

But he was a little confused...

He looked at Tirpitz, who was squatting with his head half lowered and extremely depressed, with a smile on his face. Contrary to his usual behavior, he took the initiative to take over the artillery fire and hit the target directly. Lindemann was still a little stunned.

"Tizi, you...this...?"

The pink-haired hamster, who was so depressed and expressionless, didn't even take off his headphones, and just glared at Lindeman fiercely...

If Lindemann hadn't forbidden her to draw this, would she have been able to hide it?

He is also responsible!

People change. Time, events, circumstances… there are countless factors that can make people change… and the reason she changed is just one of them… Ahhhh, the portrait of her beloved sister!

Lindman instantly went from being somewhat confused to being completely confused.

What does it have to do with him?

Wait, he seemed to see the queen's aura in Tirpitz. No, he must have seen it wrong.

How could his Tirpitz be so powerful?

Tirpitz's artillery was pointed at the last turret.

The only advantage of a solitary artillery battery is its small size. However, how can it possibly deal with a battleship equipped with guided shells?

Lindemann didn't come back to his senses for a long time.

It seems that even our own battleships can get angry sometimes.

But the reason for his outburst seemed really confusing to him.

You said she was hit by a shell, but this girl has been hit by shells many times, and I've never seen her so explosive.

I began to mourn for the British officers and soldiers on the fort...

In the distance, the third mushroom cloud rose up along with the flames of the explosion of the last main turret, and then the first two mushroom clouds, along with the souls of dozens of turret officers and soldiers, rose into the sky...

---

The three mushroom clouds rising up against the blue sky were so conspicuous even from dozens of kilometers away! The explosion, which was like the collapse of the sky and the crack of the earth, was not as conspicuous as the smoke from the explosion, but it was also heard a few minutes later.

Not to mention, the shock waves generated by the explosion of hundreds of tons of shells and propellants in the three turrets are no less than a small earthquake!

The three main turrets of the Alexander Fortress Battery have been destroyed, and the remaining six 155 secondary guns are unable to cause much effective damage to the two fully protected Bismarck-class battleships, not to mention that in front of the ship girls, these gun positions are completely unable to protect themselves!

The violent explosion not only blew away the artillery, but also shattered the morale of the British army...

The narrow seawall road made it impossible to deploy heavy troops, and the Axis fleet never stopped shelling!

Even though there were only two main turrets with four 380mm main guns, one 150mm secondary turret with two secondary guns, and two 150mm anti-aircraft guns left, the Bismarck, which was covered in thick smoke and was even still taking in water, never stopped its shelling!

Not to mention the two light cruisers that Haye took over the command of from the Italians!

After the artillery was destroyed, what could stop the devilish Axis warships?

Rommel's troops were still several miles away, but the British troops in Correl had already been destroyed by the bombardment of Bismarck and Italian light cruisers! As a generation of assault maniacs, how could Rommel not see this opportunity?

"Brothers! Follow me! The British morale is almost broken!"

Rommel, with a hoarse voice, ignored his fatigue and shouted at his subordinates with red eyes. Under the leadership of the corps commander, the African Corps, who were also bloodthirsty, stepped on the accelerator of the tanks or trucks under their seats to the maximum!

The crazy Rommel led the crazy African Corps, drove the crazy chariot, dragged the rolling sand and dust, and started a crazy assault on the port of Alexandria!

"…What's the situation now?"

Auchinleck sat down in a chair and asked listlessly.

"Um... General, even the artillery position has been destroyed. The situation... seems... not good..."

The aide answered tremblingly.

Listening to the trembling report from his staff, Auchinleck remained silent, staring blankly at the large military map hanging on the wall with his dull eyes...

Although the 51st British Infantry Division, the 1st South African Infantry Division, and the 1st Armored Division of the Free French were so close to the battlefield, the area surrounding Alexandria Port was either lakes or swamps... their own heavy troops could not be deployed at all!

Fortunately, there is a railway to the south of Lake Mareotis that can bypass Alexandria. For the time being, logistics can still rely on railway transportation, and the logistics efficiency will not be affected by the two hundred kilometers of paddy fields from Cairo to Alexandria...

From here to El Alamein, and even all the way to Tobruk, there are countless desert trails that can be used for infiltration and marching, but they cannot guarantee the logistics of large forces. Only the coastal roads and railways can provide slightly better logistics efficiency.

“…Forget it, let Rommel go…” Auchinleck sighed.

Chapter 474: In sight

"Commander, what did you say?" The staff member was stunned. "What do you mean by 'let him be'...ah?"

It seemed like the fox was going to be let go, but Auchinleck had his own ideas.

"Our troops cannot be deployed there, and it's a waste of firepower. Let's withdraw some of the troops... Pass my order, the 1st Armored Division of Free France, the 6th Division of Australia and the 1st Armored Division of Britain to attack El Alamein; the 2nd Division and the 7th Armored Division of New Zealand to continue to hold on to Rommel; in addition, let the 1st Division and the 51st Division of South Africa prepare to establish positions south of Lake Mareotis and in the village of Daval southeast of Alexandria..." Auchinleck sighed, "As for supplies, they will be transported from the railway south of Lake Mareotis..."

"But, what about Alexandria? The New Zealand Second Division alone cannot defend it..." The staff member said in a panic: "Alexandria is a strategic location. If it is lost, the Prime Minister and the Parliament will definitely bring you to court-martial..."

"There is no way to deploy troops there, and I have no other options, so let the Royal Air Force stop the German attack... I have no way to deal with the German battleships, I can only preserve the manpower as much as possible, and then control some key points to prevent the Germans from expanding their victory and try to prevent the situation from getting worse... Now I can only hope that General Arthur Tedder (Commander of the Middle East-North Africa Theater of the Royal Air Force) can attack effectively..."

Auchinleck, with a wry smile on his face, seemed to have aged ten years, hunched over, and sighed...

The war was very difficult for both sides. After all, both the British and the Germans were fighting for control of this important area.

-----

Of course, it wasn’t just the Army brothers who had a hard time. The Royal Air Force wasn’t having an easy time either. We all shared the same pain…

Look at the shocking losses. In just one morning, the Royal Air Force lost hundreds of aircraft.

Some flight squadrons didn't even have a single plane returning, many pilots also lost their friends, and the morale of the entire Air Force was very low.

The fighter squadron was fine, but the bombers that were going to raid the German fleet were exposed to the powerful anti-aircraft firepower of the Mediterranean Fleet and were badly damaged by the ship-borne anti-aircraft guns equipped with VT fuses and long-rod fragmentation warheads, which were specifically designed to restrain bombers.

Those terrifying long-pole fragments could tear apart a large area of ​​the bomber if hit by the explosion.

Although the Zeppelin aircraft carrier had lost 40 aircraft, and at least 20 to 30 aircraft needed to be overhauled, the bomber units of the Royal Air Force had already begun to shrink back...

No country's air force can withstand such a bottomless attack. The plane is a small matter. The pilots shot down at sea have no chance to come back. The loss of these pilots is what the British suffer the most.

Moreover, the Borg el-Arab Airport, one of the bases, had been completely within the range of the German artillery fire, and after the artillery position was destroyed, the Alexandria Airport was no longer safe. The remaining aircraft had already begun to move to another location while the German warships had not yet opened fire on them...

After all, several airports are very close to the coastline, and planes destroyed on the runway are worthless.

However, the aircraft that are transferring can only fly to the farthest third-tier airports, otherwise the landing of these aircraft will seriously affect the preparation and attack of the second-tier airports.

Now that first-tier airports are no longer usable, second-tier airports are the main force.

British planes began to take off and retreat.

-----

Although the African Corps was more than 100 kilometers away from Debba Airport due to its rapid advance, the closest airports to the battlefield for the British were Rashid Airport 60 kilometers away, Damanhur Airport 80 kilometers away, and Tanta Airport 120 kilometers away. In addition, there were Mansoura Airport, Benha Airport and Cairo Airport 160 to 200 kilometers away.

It can be said that the Germans were almost out of the protection of their own fighter planes. The closer the British airport was to them, the higher the efficiency of their deployment, and it was difficult for their side to keep up.

However, the return of the Zeppelin aircraft carrier has alleviated this dilemma to a great extent.

A maneuverable aircraft carrier, even if it only has thirty fighter jets, can still provide reinforcements by sending out fighter jets in turn.

Even though many British airports were farther away, the original dilemma of Deba Airport to fight against at least six British airports became that Deba Airport and Zeppelin, two points where fighters could take off, had to fight against six airports. Moreover, at least three British airports were 160 kilometers away. The long distance resulted in insufficient time for fighters to stay in the air, so they could only take off bombers...

The relationship between the combat efficiency of the air force and the distance to the airport is inversely proportional to the cube series. In particular, the British fighters have short legs, which are capable of fighting, and the American P40, which is not short-legged, cannot beat the German fighters...

The combat efficiency of these three airports, which are far away from each other, is simply incomparable.

The most crucial thing is that the Afrika Korps, Bismarck, Tirpitz, Zeppelin, and the combined German Air Force...the several Axis forces have a mutual cover relationship.

In the southeast sky, the Royal Air Force of Britain had finally put together a large fleet of hundreds of aircraft to attack the German army. However, before they could fly over the battlefield, they were intercepted and killed by German fighter planes under the guidance of the Axis shipborne radar. By the time they actually reached the battlefield, their combat effectiveness was already very limited.

The fleet sent by the British Air Force suddenly found that they didn't know which target to prioritize.

If you concentrate your forces to attack one target, you may be killed by enemies who are covering each other. If you disperse your forces to attack different targets, the attack efficiency of each part cannot be guaranteed. Not to mention the Axis fleet, even the Italian cruisers are equipped with radars and VT fuses purchased from Germany.

Even the lovely Italians are hard to beat, what else can we play?